Book Reviews & Thoughts

The Museum of Heartbreak – Meg Leder

This book was sweet, romantic, and heartfelt. It was also really “frakking” angsty. I’ll admit that I put this down in order to finish a three-book series that I (frankly) felt more drawn to. If I were to scrape together an analogy, I’d say that The Museum of Heartbreak was like a soft summer rain, or the crunch of fresh snow, or a slow-drip coffee machine first thing in the morning. Does that sound boring to you? (Tbh it does to me, but this book also comes with an air of tranquility, innocence, and warmth).

Synopsis

In this ode to all the things we gain and lose and gain again, seventeen-year-old Penelope Marx curates her own mini-museum to deal with all the heartbreaks of love, friendship, and growing up.

Welcome to the Museum of Heartbreak.

Well, actually, to Penelope Marx’s personal museum. The one she creates after coming face to face with the devastating, lonely-making butt-kicking phenomenon known as heartbreak.

Heartbreak comes in all forms: There’s Keats, the charmingly handsome new guy who couldn’t be more perfect for her. There’s possibly the worst person in the world, Cherisse, whose mission in life is to make Penelope miserable. There’s Penelope’s increasingly distant best friend Audrey. And then there’s Penelope’s other best friend, the equal-parts-infuriating-and-yet-somehow-amazing Eph, who has been all kinds of confusing lately.

But sometimes the biggest heartbreak of all is learning to let go of that wondrous time before you ever knew things could be broken.

Review

This book was sweet, romantic, and heartfelt. It was also really “frakking” angsty. I’ll admit that I put this down in order to finish a three-book series that I (frankly) felt more drawn to. If I were to scrape together an analogy, I’d say that The Museum of Heartbreak was like a soft summer rain, or the crunch of fresh snow, or a slow-drip coffee machine first thing in the morning. Does that sound boring to you? (Tbh it does to me, but this book also comes with an air of tranquility, innocence, and warmth).

Our girl Pen is young and sweet. She’s a little prickly and likes to stay in her comfort zone, which I can definitely identify with. Let’s be honest though, Eph is the one that makes this book any sort of special. I want an Ephraim O’Connor in my life! I’m glad that the friendships in this story unfolded and unraveled in such a realistic way. People come in and out of your life, and that’s OKAY because we’re all changing and growing.

The relationships in this book were a little strange though. I found it weird how cheating was treated so casually. Perhaps these relationships were (for the most part) new and non-exclusive. I still doubt Keats would be thrilled to know about Pen and Eph’s attic and thrift shop adventures, and I don’t know why Eph wasted his time with Autumns and Mias of the world. Also, Cherisse? Really? Give us a bone Ms. Leder; give her some redeeming qualities, please.

One thing I will give to this story is that Penelope had a m a z i n g parents. Let me have dinner with Pen’s Dad and soak in all his prehistoric knowledge!!